A Colorful Day

On Thursday I went to St. Padre Pios Primary School and taught an art lesson. We talked about the story of Noah and what a rainbow symbolizes. Many, if not all were hearing the story of Noah for the first time. To help the children remember the story we made windsocks and drew rainbows on them and other things we see when we are outside. I knew that this activity would involve a lot of effort on my part, but it sure did wear me out. I forget that children here do not know how to use glue sticks and even their ability to draw and color is limited. They are used to copying things from the board and so when they are asked to think of things on their own and use their imaginations, they don’t know what to do. The children worked hard on their windsock and were excited to see the finished product. It is not too often that they have a work of art, in which they have created. Their beautiful creations now decorate their classroom and can be a reminder to them each day. I am really thankful for these opportunities in which the Lord is providing to visit schools and teach some lessons. I am realizing more and more how much effort you have to put into a lesson if you want it to be engaging, hands on, creative, etc. I probably glued over 70 windsocks and also tied string to each one. What would maybe be an hour lesson in the states turned into a two hour lesson here. As I prepared to teach the lesson again on Friday I sharpened over 100 colored pencils by hand and I have the blisters to prove it. I just wanted to shout, “Where is my mechanical pencil sharpener!!” The children are worth the blisters though. This experience is helping me think through how to work with teachers; even if the resources were available they would have to be taught how to use them and how to teach the children how to use them.
Below are some pictures from Thursday. Enjoy!!